Although by the mid-eighteenth century colonial American makers of mat
hematical instruments were producing many of the scientific instrument
s required in the British Colonies of North America for surveying and
navigation, it was not until after the first quarter of the nineteenth
century that American makers had the capability to produce sophistica
ted precision optical instruments for astronomy and microscopy. Until
then, these had to be imported from overseas, chiefly England, at cons
iderable cost and after long delays. Included among them were historic
ally important instruments required for establishing provincial and te
rritorial boundaries, and for making astronomical observations. Althou
gh generally treated with the utmost care while in use, eventually one
after another was misplaced, lost, destroyed by fire, or, in one inst
ance, carefully hidden away then forgotten until it was discovered mor
e than a century later.